Mormonism
Mormons reject the deity of Christ, making him out to be a created being and brother of Satan. They reject the basic tenets of Christianity, and believe that God was once a man; they further teach that men can become Gods (that's logically impossible, by the way). But most importantly, Mormons claim that they have special knowledge that other Christians don't have, and then they turn around and exclude other Christians as being of wrong belief. That is, they exclude all other Christians from their belief in what basically amounts to an attempt to appropriate the label "Christian" for themselves. And then they complain that other Christians don't recognize them as Christians themselves. Since they exclude themselves from all of the rest of Christians, it's reasonable to grant their request and see them as a non-Christian cult. 'History ' Mormons were founded by Joseph Smith, who claimed to have been contacted by an angel and shown some golden tablets with a new message for man. The golden tablets were translated by the use of the Urimm and Thummim, two stones that were supposedly placed in a hat with the golden plates. No one knows where the golden plates are today, and no one has ever seen the plates. 'Theology ' Mormons reject the idea that Jesus is God. They make him out to be a created being. They believe that God was once a man, and became God. They also believe that good Mormons will become Gods one day, and rule their own planets. This philosophy, in addition to being radically contradictory to the Bible, also has logical problems. Joseph Smith knew nothing about the need for a first cause, the impossibility of an actual infinite, etc. Mormon archaeologists employed by the Mormon church even admit that there is no archaeological evidence to support the claims of the Book of Mormon. Yet, because they use the name "Jesus Christ," Mormons call themselves Christians. They then turn around and exclude every other follower of Christ as being not a "true" Christian because they are not a Mormon. In effect, this is an attempt to co-opt the label "Christian" for themselves. 'Proof' There are thousands of very early copies of the books of the New Testament uncovered by archaeologists. There are none of the book of Mormon. The greatest archaeological find of all time, the Dead Sea Scrolls, demonstrated clearly that the Old Testament of the Bible has not been changed over time. Nothing similar exists to validate the transmission of the Book of Mormon. Ancient documents -- both Biblical books and those attesting to them -- can be examined by experts in person, and even by laypeople online. There are no similar documents to investigate for the Book of Mormon. Archaeologists repeatedly and continually find new material that corroborates the people, places, and events that are recorded in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Mormon archaeologists employed by the Mormon church admit that there is no archaeological validation of anything within the Book of Mormon. 'Pearl of Great Price' Part of the Pearl of Great Price is translated from a special scroll that Joseph Smith came to be in possession of, upon which was "reformed Egyptian" writing, just like the plates of the Book of Mormon were written in, according to Smith. He translated it in exactly the same way as the Book of Mormon. That scroll went missing for a while, but it was discovered in a Mormon archive. Mormon authorities verified that it was indeed the Pearl scroll. The problem is that between the time Smith translated the scroll and it was found, the Rosetta Stone was used to learn how to read Egyptian Hieroglyphs. When we look at the Pearl scroll with this newfound knowledge, we can easily see that it was clearly an Egyptian burial scroll written in Egyptian hieroglyphics and containing directions for a dead Egyptian to travel on to the Egyptian idea of the netherworld. It is not at all what Joseph Smith said it was. And since he used the same method to translate the Pearl scroll that he did the Book of Mormon, it shows clearly that both works are frauds (as if we needed further confirmation of that fact.) 'Compared to Christianity ' The Bible was once claimed to have been altered over time. The Book of Mormon's finder, Joseph Smith, makes this claim too (as does Mohammad.) Archaeological discoveries like those mentioned above have scientifically and conclusively shown that the contents of the Bible have not been altered as if they were in some giant multi-millenial game of "telephone." Yet neither Joseph Smith nor Mohammad -- both of who claim to speak for God -- know of these coming archaeological finds that contradict their message "from God." The Bible makes prophetic claims that can be validated for their predictive date, and then their completion and fulfillment. There are no verified prophecies from the Book of Mormon that have come true. The Book of Mormon was supposedly written in a time where racial differences were not very important. It contains racially prejudiced details that were not common in the time of its supposed writing, but were very common in the time of its "discovery." The Book of Mormon is so completely different in its makeup and pedigree than is scripture that it's astounding that anyone can take it seriously. 'Related Topics' *Christianity *God *Religion Category:Dr. Bobisms